Two thousand direct jobs are expected to be created when the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park at Odukpani, Cross River State, is completed, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has said.

The NCDMB said the construction, which has begun, would create a regional low-cost manufacturing hub that would produce equipment components and spare parts that would be utilized in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

The Odukpani Park is the first to take off among four planned sites and will be followed by the site in Emeyal 1, Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.

Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony recently, the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Simbi Wabote, credited his predecessors for initiating the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme (NOGAPS), adding that it, “fits nicely into our 10-year strategy roadmap aimed at raising in-country value retention in the oil and gas industry from the current levels to 70 percent.”

He described the ground breaking as a great step towards achieving one of the Board’s key mandates, which is, “to develop capacity of local supply chain for effective and efficient service delivery without compromising oil and gas industry standards.”

He asserted that about 2,000 jobs would be created when the park begins full operation while the citizens of the host community and environs will benefit from on-the-job training opportunities.

“This project will positively impact Cross River State in general and Odukpani community and its environs in particular. This positive impact will be felt both at the construction and operations stages of the project.”

Wabote explained that NOGAPS sites are planned to be sited close to existing power plants while provisions are also made to generate captive power in a bid to address the electricity challenge that face most Nigerian manufacturers and businesses.